"I do not claim that I can tell a story as it ought to be told. I only claim to know how a story ought to be told." -Mark Twain









6.19.2013

Standing Guard

 I love to pull out my favorite colors of red, white and blue for the summer. I have always been drawn to those colors. 
 When Fall gets here and I pull out the jewel tone colors of fall and the warm tones I think things couldn't be prettier. Nature itself is beautiful and I am wrapped in the coziness the colors represent. 
 Then Christmas arrives and red and white come back out...with some green and I love that too. It is only springs pastels that don't excite me much. I am obviously drawn to stronger colors. But then, once again Memorial Day rolls around and I bring out the red, white and blue. 
 And I realize once again, these are truly my favorite colors. Along with the summer colors I pull out my oh-so-small collection (3 to be exact!!) of Barclay soldiers. 
 The metal soldiers were made by the Barclay company beginning in the late 20's or early 30's. The cast iron soldiers originally sold for a dime. You can now find them on Ebay and other collector sights. There are literally hundreds of poses. Every job a military man could have in the war is represented in the Barclay soldiers. It is so fun to look at all the different ones that are available
 
 I have a cousin that has an entire infantry or platoon or troop.....or whatever they may be called.
 I can imagine how much fun they would have been for young boys (and girls!!!) to play with them for hours. The scratches on the meticulous paint jobs lets one imagine how much they were played with in their first life. 
 In my little world, they simply stand guard on an old (dumpster dive ) wooden toolbox. 
 Perfect little sentinels, carrying their guns and the flag. Reminding me of by-gone days of children at play, men at war and a country that looked for a way to represent the men they were so proud of. I encourage you to look up Barclay soldiers on Ebay, or Google up Barclay soldiers and look at all the images. They can be bought for under $10 or for upwards of $100. In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy my small collection and my favorite red, white and blue's!
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3 comments:

  1. What an amazing collection of metal soldiers! I like the way you've combined the red, white & blue for your summer display!

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  2. I love the soldiers and different spin on the patriotic vignette. USA! Hugs, Holly
    http://coconutheadsurvivalguide.com/blog/

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  3. Wonderful patriotic touches for the 4th! Love your soldiers. My dad has some old ones. Made of lead. Can you imagine that in this day and age: lead! Pop on over to my blog when you have a chance, I'm having a giveaway!

    Jeanine

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